The Strength Within
by Alamo Girl
Summary: Ch. 5 is UP! Kate finds that life can give some surprising blows.
1. Default Chapter

**Title:** The Strength Within

**Author:** Alamo Girl

**Disclaimer**: I do not own any of these characters. Navy NCIS and its characters belongs to CBS and Belisarius Productions. Don't sue me, I have no money. 

**Summary: ** Kate finds that life can deal some surprising blows.(This is my first fan fiction attempt,  Please be GENTLE!) Gibbs/Kate

**_Author Note*_** This story is dedicated to the women continuing the fight and to those who have lost the battle with Breast Cancer. 

'He did this to me on purpose,' Kate thought to herself as she kneeled in the smelliest, most disgusting dumpster there could possibly be in the state of Virginia.  She had been to some interesting crime scenes, and had seen some pretty gruesome effects of the things people can do to one another. But schlogging around in a dumpster looking for, … 

'Oh great! Am I looking for trace evidence, murder weapon, .. my dignity maybe.' 

She had been so angry when Gibbs sent her to search the dumpster near the crime scene, she didn't ask what it was Gibbs wanted found, or maybe she blocked him out, who knows! A young female naval lieutenant had been assaulted and stabbed in this alley, and Tony was happily taking pictures and sketching, Gibbs was interviewing, and Ducky had just arrived. 

Kate stood up, the smell was about to knock her out. She glanced over the rim of the dumpster in time to catch Gibbs' eye. He gave her the 'aren't you supposed to be doing something' look, a smirk was threatening to show on his face. 

She threw her best 'go to hell' look at him, and then remembered what she was looking for. The lieutenant had also been robbed, and Kate remembered that most robbers take the wallet, cash and credit cards, and then chunk the purse. The wallet with ID had been found up the alley, but the purse and the murder weapon, 'Both of which might have prints,' she thought, could have been thrown in the most convenient place. The dumpster.

With somewhat renewed enthusiasm Kate reached back down into the trash. If she could just find that..

"Find any buried treasure Kate?" Tony asked cheerfully. 

"Yea Tony, why don't you just come a little closer and I'll give you an up close and personal presentation of what I've found in here." Kate said over her shoulder. 

" Oh, I think I'm fine out here thanks, besides your doing such a great job, you were really meant for this kinda work Kate." Tony loved teasing her, especially when Gibbs was out of earshot. He tended to get reprimanded for his "good natured" ribbing, he couldn't understand why Gibbs just couldn't take a joke sometimes. "Besides, your shorter than me, Gibbs thought you could fit in the dumpster better."

"Well Tony," Kate said as she spied something sticking out of the side of a moldy box, " I'd have figured you would do better in here, I mean, your mind is always in the gutter and full of trash anyways." She pulled out what she had been digging for, a six inch hunting knife, and smiled. There was still fresh blood on the blade.

Kate stood up, the knife held high. Tony's smug expression fell as he saw what she was holding. Gibbs had finished his interviews and was striding over to see what his younger partners had turned up. 

"Well Agent Todd, it seems you really were the best man for the job." Gibbs said.

"You really enjoy seeing me do the shitty work, huh Gibbs?" Kate said as she slipped the knife into the evidence bag Gibbs held out for her. " I mean, how long do I have to work with you before the "initiation" period is over?" She started to climb over the edge of the dumpster, when suddenly she felt two strong hands clasp around her waist.

She looked down to see Gibbs holding her waist, easily pulling her down from the metal dumpster. Gibbs lowered her to the ground, but not before he pulled her in, quite close to his own body. Their bodies brushed together. Kate, surprised by this physical contact, looked up at Gibbs.

Those sea blue eyes seemed to bore into her. " I put you where I need you Agent Todd. And since you may have just found the evidence we need to find the killer, I don't consider your work tonight " shitty" at all." Gibbs allowed he hands to linger on her hips, maybe a little too long for his own comfort, because he suddenly became aware of the fact they were practically embracing and stepped back. 

"Let's get this back to Abby, see if she can pull prints. Tony, you get your sketches to Abby and then you can call it a night." Gibbs was almost to the NCIS van when he called over his shoulder, " And Kate, go home a take a shower!"

Kate snorted. Tony grinned that boyishly handsome grin. "Yea Kate, _Eau de Dumpster_ is not the rage in women's perfumes this year." Kate would have swung at him, but she was still thinking about how Gibbs had, well nearly put his arms around her. And held her there for a while too! She had to ride with Tony back to headquarters, but she changed out of her dirty crime scene coveralls near the truck. 

Kate kept thinking about Gibbs' eyes all the way home. Its not like it was the first time they had held each other's gaze, and Kate felt the butterflies in her stomach. Wasn't the first time he'd had his arms around her either. She'd always get a little nervous when Gibbs would stare down into her eyes, like she was afraid he would see.. what was deep inside her. Her eyes might betray her. She, on the other hand, could not see anything in his eyes that she could accurately read. 

Focused intensity, that was about as far as she could get. He would never let her in. She wondered if anyone ever got in, got to see what made Gibbs tick. His emotions, his personal life, his past, all were under tight lock and key. It frustrated her. He frustrated her! She never quite knew where she stood with him, and often wondered if there were any feelings what-so-ever inside Jethro Gibbs.

Once home, Kate stripped off her clothes. She could not wait to let the hot water of her shower wash away the stench of the dumpster that seemed to permeate every fiber of her being. The aches and pains of the day, seemed to melt away as she stood under the hot waterfall, letting the water run through her dark hair and down her body. 

Eventually she shut the water off, and reached for a towel. As she wrapped the fluffy towel around her torso, her hand felt something under her left arm, just to the side of her breast. 

"What the hell is that?", she said to herself and she gently palpated the area. It wasn't painful, like a muscle pull, and it wasn't bruised from climbing in and out of dumpsters. It was small, roundish, and solid. 

It was a lump. And Kate felt something cold begin to twist in her gut. 

~End Chapter 1~

(Please be gentle, No Flaming.. this is my first attempt)


	2. Ch 2

**Title:** The Strength Within

**Disclaimer: **I don't own them, don't sue me!

**_Author's Note*_** Thanks to all the reviews! I'm always open for beta-ing!

            Sorry I couldn't answer reviews as quickly, FanFiction.net was 

            Down, and I couldn't get in! Arrg!

~Chapter 2~

The teakettle began to make its irate scream. The sound managed to jog Kate out of her mind fog. She moved through her spacious apartment like a zombie in flannel sleep pants and oversized t-shirt. 

'What do I do now?' she thought as she poured the steaming tea into a large mug. She flipped the light off in her kitchen, and moved to her couch. The only light filtered in from her large windows, giving the living room a silvery cast.

Darkness, that's what she felt like inside now. Slow, seeping darkness accompanied by a cold, gut churning case of the 

"What-Ifs".

As she sipped her tea, she tried to think rationally.

"Ok, technically I shouldn't be that surprised. I mean, I missed my mammogram last year, so it's been two years since I've been checked. What if, I had had my mammogram, like I freakin' should have, and they found it earlier?" she tried to say to herself. 

"And, I guess I already had another strike against me, genetics." Kate sighed deeply. She had seen her grandmother on her father's side die of breast cancer. And, to make matters worse, a great-aunt on her mother's side had also been diagnosed with breast cancer. Kate's own mother, although she had never had cancer, had always had problems with fibroid cysts in her breasts.  What if that's all this was? What if…

"God I don't have time to deal with this crap!" she exclaimed, a little louder than she intended. Now she was going to have to call the doctor first thing in the morning, well actually it was already morning, have a mammogram,.. and wait in the office, and all that crap. She got up and put her cup back in the kitchen, and walked back into her bedroom.

'Appointments mean missed work, which means Gibbs will have my ass. Which means, oh God.. he'll have to find out. Hell no, he does not get to be in my personal life, when he shuts everyone else out of his!' she thought.

What if the doctor decided they had to do a biopsy! She wouldn't be much use in the field with a sore shoulder and arm, and the last thing Caitlin Todd would ever allow herself to be is useless on the side-lines! She had worked too damn hard, and still wanted to prove herself to Gibbs that she could be the agent he wanted her to be. Damn, these What-Ifs can be killers.

Kate decided she would call the doctor in the morning before work and schedule an appointment for a soon as possible. She could stall Gibbs with an explanation, like an eye exam maybe. Boy, Tony would love that, she could just hear him zinging her about her needing an eye exam so she could finally shoot straight. Fun times..haha. Who knows, this could all be nothing really, just a false alarm and she'd have worked herself all up over something minor! As she lay down in her bed, quite certain that this would be a sleepless night, something else gnawed at Kate's gut. Aside from having potential problems with Gibbs finding out, aside from the possibility of having to quite a job she loved with all her heart,…Kate realized with a shudder, you can die from breast cancer. And it's a slow and sometimes painful death. 

~*~

Sleep did not find Caitlin Todd that night. She finally decided to get ready and go in to work, early. Actually early was an understatement. She showered, fixed her hair and dressed, put on makeup in an attempt to cover the dark circles under her eyes, and was ready to go before the sun had barely broken the horizon.

"Oh well, Gibbs always came in early. Surely I won't look weird coming in, uhh.. two and a half hours early," she said to herself as she got into her car. It was bitterly cold outside, and steam rose from the hot chocolate she carried with her. 

Once she arrived at NCIS Head Quarters, Kate noticed there were, in fact, a few cars already there. Thankfully, Gibbs' was not one of them. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed her doctor's number. The privacy of her car would keep prying ears from hearing her reason for an appointment.

" You can take me tomorrow morning? Is 7:30am the earliest I can get in?" Kate asked the receptionist. She wanted to get the mammogram over with as soon as possible, and miss as little work time as she could. She decided to call the NCIS Supervisor Morrow, and clear the time off with him. "Better to go through him than Gibbs. Gibbs would ask too many questions," she thought.

Agent Morrow cleared her request with out so much as a 'is everything alright', and Kate went into the building. Now she would have to spend another 24 hours, waiting and worrying. Man, this was shaping up to be a really crappy day. 

"Agent Todd, aren't we meeting the day extra early, all bright eyed and bushy tailed?" Gibbs' unusually pleasant greeting startled Kate. She nearly knocked the file she was reading off her desk. Once Gibbs rounded the corner, he looked down at Kate. She did her best to avoid his scrutinizing stare. "Or, maybe not so bushy-tailed," he said as he noticed Kate's demeanor.

Gibbs moved and sat down behind his desk, all the while never taking his eyes off of Kate. She concentrated on the file about the stabbed lieutenant. "Katie, are you OK?" He said it so softly. Kate almost didn't hear it. She was really going to have to dust off her acting skills now.

"Fine Gibbs, just stayed up a little late doing paperwork." She forced a half smile as she looked up at Gibbs. She managed to get her eyes to focus on some place other than his eyes. His mouth, his nose, anything but his eyes. If he looked into her eyes, she knew she was screwed. It dawned on her that he had called her Katie. That was unusual, and he had said it with an almost endearing tone. She looked back to her desk.

Gibbs studied her. She looked worn completely out. She looked tense, like she could break down at any second, desperately trying to keep it together. He had never seen her like this, and it worried him. Gibbs kept his feelings underneath the professional "bad-ass Agent Gibbs" mask, with out much difficulty. But when it came to Caitlin Todd, he had to struggle to keep his feelings from showing through. He took a deep breath, willing his worry back under the mask, "Kate, you don't look fine, is there something..," but he was cut off.

"Hey Guys! Gibbs, thank you SO much for letting me go early last night! I went to this little bar after I dropped Kate off. Oh by the way Kate, your little dumpster-diving gig kinda left a funky smell in my car, I hope you showered again before coming to work this morning." Tony playfully grinned down at Kate, waiting for a witty reply. She did not even raise her head. He waited for a moment, and looked at Gibbs with raised eyebrows. Gibbs glanced at him, but turned back to Kate, also surprised she did not respond to Tony's baiting. Tony shrugged and continued to ramble on about some buxom blonde he met, until Gibbs gave him the "shut up or die" look. 

The day seemed to drag on. They brought in the suspect whose prints were on the bloody knife Kate found. Kate stood off in the corner of the interrogation room, while Tony and Gibbs ran the interview. She took a few notes, but barely uttered a word, unless she was asked to do something. Her mind was full of the "What-Ifs". What if Gibbs found out, what would he think? What if he thought she was weak? He could take her off the team! Worse yet, what if he acted like he didn't care? Kate didn't think she could bare that, deep in her heart, she wanted so desperately for Gibbs to care,… about her. But all the "What-Ifs" came down to the big one. What if she had breast cancer?

"Kate, what do you think?" 

"What, oh , uh, yea I believe he stabbed her and made it look like a robbery to cover up the affair," she said as she pulled herself out of her own thoughts. Wait, she wasn't quite sure what Gibbs was asking about! She chanced a look up at him as they made their way back to their desks. Gibbs' raised his eyebrows. "Oh great," she thought, "That's not what he wanted, and he's gonna think I was sleeping in there!"

"Well, actually I wanted to know if you though he was lying or not. But it seems we've already proven the affair from the interviews of his neighbors, and his prints were on the knife. But hey, that explanation will work for me," Gibbs said still watching Kate. She hadn't been with them, in mind as well in spirit all day. And he was growing more and more worried. But he just couldn't come right out and ask her about her personal life. That would be, well, dangerous, she might see through his mask. Gibbs didn't know what to do with these feelings churning in his gut and in his soul, and that made him very uncomfortable.

Tony was beginning to notice Kate's withdrawn mood as well. "Hey, Earth to Kate! You just pretty much closed this murder case! Even though its unattractive, shouldn't you be like, gloating right now?" Tony felt that would get a rise out of her for sure. Kate only looked up at him and shrugged slightly. Tony's million-watt smile faded, as he saw the fatigue in her eyes. He decided to leave it alone.

Kate had felt Gibbs' eyes on her while Tony spoke. She knew Gibbs was watching her reactions, all day. Gibbs studied people's reactions, almost like he could read minds. That's how he was also known as a walking lie detector. Kate knew she had to avoid conversation with him, or he would pick out her weakness, and grill her over it. She had done a good job of avoiding talking all day, except for the few one-word answers occasionally. She had felt his eyes on her all day, which normally would have made her blush. Kate also knew she was going to have to tell him at some point that she was going to be late to work tomorrow morning.  

After working on files and paperwork concerning the case for what seemed like forever, Tony finally stood. "Well gang, I think I'm gonna call it a day," he said as he picked up his backpack.  

"Oh you _think_ you are, huh DiNozzo?" Gibbs said subtly. 

"C'mon boss, the case is finished, all that's left is paperwork, and I can finish that tomorrow. Pleeeaase?" Tony put on his best puppy eyes. Those eyes, probably worked better on women.

"Go," was Gibbs' reply. As Tony bounded out of the bullpen, Gibbs figured this would be as good a time as any to talk to Kate. He took a deep breath, and looked at her. He felt a pang of worry stick his heart like a knife as he looked at her. She looked so depressed, and small, he wanted to touch her, comfort her in some way. 

Kate knew they were alone. She knew she had to tell him she had an appointment in the morning, and she wanted to do it and run like hell out of the building. Better to just say it and leave, its not like Gibbs would care. The case was all but wrapped up. Just some paperwork, and making sure Ducky and Abby had all their reports in order for court. She gathered her briefcase together, so she could make a fast get-away.

"Kate, what's the deal?" Wow, that came out incredibly cold Gibbs thought. Sometimes he wished he could just suck the words back into his mouth. He swallowed and looked over at Kate. 

"Deal?? What's the _Deal_?" the venom in her voice bit into Gibbs. Kate could not believe he just said that! Well, actually she _could_ believe it. Gibbs could, after all, be the king of all bastards. 

Uh oh, Mayday! "You've just been withdrawn, quiet, and well, not yourself all day. There's got to be something wrong Kate."

" I told you Gibbs, I'm fine." She gathered her belongings. "Besides, if it has nothing to do with NCIS, why should you care?" Kate winced at the acidity of her own words. But he did frustrate her so! One minute, she was just a team member, the next minute, he wants to get personal. She wished he'd make up his freakin' mind! She stood and looked at him.

Gibbs looked like she had punched him. He recovered and said, "Kate, when you come to work distracted by personal stuff, it does affect the team at NCIS. And I do care about that." Gibbs felt like slamming his fist on his forehead. He had now effectively made it sound like he had no heart, no feelings what so ever. Nothing could be further from the truth. He'd wanted to find out what was hurting Kate so much, and comfort her in some way, and now he had pushed her away even more. 'Way to go Gibbs, you IDIOT,' he thought. The look on Kate's face tugged on his heart even more.

Kate had no words. Her shoulders sagged a little more, her eyes locked with his. How could he be so cold? With all she had been carrying around today, Gibbs' emotional shutout was the straw the broke the camel's back. Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked a few times willing them away. No way was she gonna let him see her cry.  In a voice no louder and a raspy whisper, she held his gaze and said, "Yea, that's all you care about isn't it."

She turned and grabbed her bag and began to walk away. Gibbs couldn't believe what he had heard. How could she think that? But he did know how. Jethro Gibbs was very good at making people believe that his job was the only thing he cared about. He was too good at it, it had cost him marriages, and now a whole lot more. He finally found his voice.

"Kate! Wait that's not what I meant and you know it!"

Kate was almost in the elevator when she turned and held the door open. " Oh by the way," she said in her most professional tone, "I will be late to work tomorrow. Eye exam appointment, I've already cleared it with Morrow." And with that, she turned her back to Gibbs so he wouldn't see the tears, the steel doors closed slowly behind her.

Gibbs stood alone in the bullpen. Somehow the office seemed to have emptied with out him noticing. He felt an ache in his famous gut, telling him he royally screwed up. He stared at the elevator doors. He knew he cared about something, or _someone_ much more important than his job. The trouble was, he didn't know what he could do about it.

~End Chapter 2~ 

Chapt. 3 will be coming soon!


	3. Ch 3

**Title:** **The Strength Within**

**Author: **Alamo Girl (aka Mel)

**Disclaimer: **They're not mine, no suing the poor ex-college girl please!

**_Author Note*_** Sorry it took so long! The creative juices kick in around 12:30-1:00am! Then I can't type, well… anything readable that is. 

~Chapter 3~

"_Asshole_ does not EVEN begin to describe him!"

The tears flowed freely down Caitlin Todd's face as she drove down the icy Washington D.C. streets. She steered her car into her apartment parking lot. As she sat in her freezing car, Gibbs' words thundered in her head and her heart.

"_When you come to work distracted, it affects the NCIS team. And I DO care about that."_

Kate just couldn't believe that the man that nearly everyone at NCIS looked up to and admired had absolutely no heart! Didn't he know how important this job was to her? Didn't he understand that she would never allow her personal life to distract her while on the job? At leased not enough to make some kind of fatal mistake. As she moved into her dark apartment, Kate felt like curling up into a ball on the floor and sobbing until the last ounce of salt water was out of her system. 

She trudged into her bedroom and got undressed. She started the shower, turning it to its hottest setting. 

"I can't believe I let Gibbs get to me like that too. No other man, let alone a boss, has been able to aggravate and piss me off like Jethro Gibbs," she thought to herself as she entered the shower. 

"Then again, no other man can intrigue me the way he can. I've never known a man whose eyes could see into my soul like his, and make me feel so many… different feelings. One look, and Jethro Gibbs can make my heart jump into my throat with sheer exhilaration. And at the same time, I'm so afraid."

Kate reached up under her left arm, and found the lump. How could something, no bigger than a dime, cause so much heartache, and fear? She gingerly ran her fingers over the lump and chuckled, " It just doesn't seem so dangerous." She dried off and got into bed. Her doctor's appointment was in a few hours, and she would find everything out then. Weather or not this thing was something minor, or if it was something just as dangerous as a perp with a gun to her head.  

~Meanwhile….~

Leroy Jethro Gibbs let out a frustrated sigh.  He stood in his dark basement, a sanding plane in his hand. The single light bulb overhead offered little light, but that's how Gibbs liked it. Besides, darkness was befitting his mood tonight. 

"I can handle Al Quaida terrorists, rogue CIA agents shooting at me, explosions on subs, and three ex-wives. Why can't I seem to handle one Caitlin Todd?" he thought to himself.

Gibbs began shaving on a section of the boat he'd been working on for hours now. He'd probably shave the whole damn rib of the boat off if he didn't work these feelings out soon! He knew something bad must be going on with Kate. He'd never seen her so withdrawn and vulnerable. Gibbs had a streak of chivalry running down him a mile wide and twice as deep. A woman in trouble, especially one he cared about, was someone he couldn't resist helping. Being very protective was also one of Gibbs' stronger traits. When it came teammates or especially a certain brunette female agent, Gibbs would give his life to keep them safe. 

"Why doesn't she understand I just want to help? Why do women have to be so damn stubborn!" He realized he was pushing on the sander so hard his knuckles were white. He stopped and sat down on the table, wiping the sweat from his brow. 

"What could have happened to Kate in one night that has changed her so much," he wondered. The feelings Gibbs was having about Kate made him uncomfortable. He was her supervisor; she was one of his agents. He had told her that romance between agents never worked, but that didn't mean that he didn't want it. Gibbs didn't seem to know how to act around her anymore. In the beginning, he had been a pretty hard-nosed prick to her, making smart-ass comments about her ideas and almost ridiculing her for having a trusting nature. But her nature is what he'd come to love about her. Now, good-natured teasing and play flirting replaced the curt remarks. He found himself trying to make her blush, and getting an unusually warm feeling inside when he made her smile. 

Gibbs did not know what to do with these feelings, and not being able to act on them frustrated him. The last thing he wanted was to loose Kate. She'd already changed jobs once for fraternizing with fellow co-workers, and he didn't want that to happen again. Well, at leased he didn't want her to change jobs again. 

"The "fraternizing" thing could be fun," Gibbs thought, his trademark smirk playing across his lips. He allowed himself some very indulgent thoughts of he and Kate, in various "extracurricular" activities. Then his smirk faded. He had to find out what was going on with Kate, because he couldn't stand to see her in pain anymore. 

~*~

"Why do doctor's offices always have to be freezing? Its cold enough outside!" 

Kate sat in her chair in the office, pretending to read a magazine. In truth, she was way too wired to read anything. She had spent another sleepless night worrying, and now that she thought about it, she couldn't remember the last time she ate anything substantial. It didn't really matter though she had no apatite anyhow. A nurse stuck her head out of a door.

"Ms. Todd?"

Kate shivered as she stood and followed the nurse to the imaging room. Mammograms are not usually painful, but they are not very comfortable. Kate had told the doctor about her discovery and family history. He believed the sooner they could get a look at the lump, the better. After she finished with the mammogram machine, she was lead back to a waiting room. Kate's stomach seemed to tie itself into even more knots as she waited for the doctor to return.

 The doctor finally did return with the images of Kate's lump. He explained that the lump was fairly round and seemed to be encapsulated, which is usually a good thing. Kate could feel a huge 'but..' coming. 

"But," Doctor Burns continued, "the lump does have some suspicious characteristics to it. Given your family history of breast cancer, I would like to go ahead and perform a fine needle biopsy. This will allow us to use a very fine needle to extract some cells from the middle of the lump. We can then find out if the cells are cancerous or not. The procedure will not take long, we can do it right now if you like. You will be very sore, and may have some minimal bleeding."

Kate listened as if in a trance. She could not believe this was really happening to her. The term "suspicious characteristics" kept floating around in her head. She finally found her voice and decided to go ahead with the fine needle biopsy. 

The biopsy did not take long. A local anesthetic was used, but Kate knew once they wore off, she was going to be in some real pain. "I have to make it look like there is no pain though," she thought, " Or Gibbs will see me favoring my arm, and then there will be hell to pay."

She drove straight back to NCIS Headquarters. It was nearing 12:30pm, but paperwork and conferring with Ducky and Abby were the only things left on the stabbing murder case. Kate had called Tony to tell him she was on her way back to the office. She fielded his inane questions about where she had been all morning very well, basically telling him to mind his own damn business. She hoped Gibbs wouldn't be at his desk when she got there. On the elevator, her shoulder began to throb, the pain wrapping around her back and into her shoulder blades. 

"Suck it up Kate," she said to herself.

She walked out of the elevator with her best 'stone face' look. Tony was at his desk, his face lit up into that light-up-the-room smile of his. 

"Kate, glad you could finally join us! Did the eye doctor find a reason why you're such a lousy shot?" 

"Yea DiNozzo, whatever, the appointment went fine," Kate muttered. She looked to Gibbs' desk, but he wasn't there. Thank God for small miracles. She started to sit down in her chair when she noticed a fresh cup of Starbucks coffee sitting on her desk. Kate stared at it, wondering how it got there when Gibbs strode up to his desk.

"I had an extra cup, I figured you might need some when ya got in." Gibbs' voice was smooth and deep. Kate looked to him a little startled, and then back at the coffee. Gibbs, … badass, hard nose Gibbs…bringing someone coffee?? She decided to chance looking into his eyes. She had to know what he meant by this. Kate looked back into Gibb's eyes. There was a softness to them, although his facial expressions revealed nothing. He stood there, watching her intently for her reaction. 

After a second, Kate drew in a breath. "I think he's actually trying to apologize," she thought. A big step, for Agent Gibbs, although she knew it would take a lot more than coffee to make amends for the way he treated her. However, it was a step in the right direction.

"Thanks, I appreciate it Gibbs," she replied as she sat down. She gave him a half smile. Gibbs watched her for a while longer, and gave her a slight nod before getting back to his paperwork. Gibbs' instincts were screaming at him that something very big and obviously traumatic had happened with Kate this morning. And it was no eye appointment. 

Later that day, the team was wrapping up the lieutenant's murder case. They had been in Abby's lab gathering final reports and lab tests form the murder weapon, DNA and so on. Abby was her usual irreverent self, talking about some new photo's she'd acquired showing various affects poisons can have on the human body. Abby had the ability to bring a smile to almost anyone's face, even Gibbs. Kate always enjoyed that about her. 

Then they moved on to Ducky's morgue. Dr. Ducky Mallard was an intriguing blend of scientific brilliance, and an archive of completely random information. He had known Gibbs the longest, and seemed to have all the juiciest tid-bits of information about Gibbs' past. Kate often wished she could have a talk with Ducky about Gibbs, get the low-down on his personal life. But she did not want to have to wade through his never-ending monologs about something that had nothing to do with what she'd asked. Gibbs, Tony and Kate stood in the morgue while Ducky went through his post-mortem reports. 

Kate's arm and shoulder were screaming at her know. The pain seemed to pulse though her with every heart beat. She stood off to the side of Tony, reading through the reports. She knew Gibbs had been keeping an eye on her all day again, but he hadn't bought anything up yet. She knew he eventually would though, but she would deal with that when it came. Ducky had also been eyeing Kate.

"Thanks Duck, that should be plenty for the lawyers. You two can finish up any paperwork and head on out if you want," said Gibbs. He waited, watching Kate. He desperately hoped she would stay late, alone with him. It was killing him inside, not knowing what was wrong. She kept her head down in the folder; a nod was her only reply. Gibbs sighed through his nose, his lips formed a thin line of worry. He turned and strode out of the morgue.

"YES! I am SO outta' here," Tony exclaimed. He made a "cha-ching" arm jab movement, and in his excitement accidentally brought his elbow back into Kate. Right into her left arm and shoulder! "Oh, sorry Kate, I didn't know you liked being that close to me!" Tony said good-naturedly. Then, without even checking to see if she was OK, he flew out of the morgue making a beeline for his stuff. 

Kate had turned her face away from Tony. Immediately, she became ashen, and slumped against a table. The pain seared through her like a red-hot iron. She felt her stomach roll, and she thought she might get sick right there! Kate gasped a few times, and blinked at the tears forming in her eyes. It took a minute before she realized that Ducky was holding her up.

"Oh my word, Caitlin," Ducky said in his Scots-English accent. "Are you alright dear?"

"Y-yea, Ducky I'm OK. Really, I just... uh… pulled a muscle and Tony hit a sore spot. Its OK, really," Kate stuttered.

Ducky watched her. " I don't believe a pulled muscle would elicit such a display of pain."

Before she could protest, Ducky gently pulled the collar of her button down blouse away from her shoulder. The white bandage under her bra strap was tinged with red; the biopsy site was beginning to bleed. Ducky drew in a sharp breath, as he immediately recognized what kind of medical procedure had taken place. Kate pulled her blouse back over the bandage, and tried to collect herself. 

She looked up at Ducky, reading the worry etched in his face. Ducky sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his nose, and removed his glasses. 

"Caitlin, why haven't you told anyone?" Kate closed her eyes, dropping her head to her chest. 

Ducky knew. And there was nothing she could do about it now.

~Chap 4 Coming soon! It might take a little while, so stay tuned!~


	4. Ch 4

Title: The Strength Within 

**Author: **Alamo Girl

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own them. They belong to Belisaurius Productions.

**_Author Note*_** Sorry it took so long guys and gals, but when I wasn't busy with all kinds of crap, I was fending off sinus migraines! Oh well, Thanks to all the awesome reviews! You guys are GREAT!

~Chapter 4~

_" Breathe Kate, just breathe."_

The waves of pain searing throughout Kate's body slowly began to subside somewhat. She managed to stand up by herself and straighten her blouse. She glanced at Ducky, and then returned her eyes to the floor.

"Ducky, its nothing… really. I can still do my job, just like always. There's no need to tell anyone about this, I mean, we don't even know what "it" is yet." Even to Kate, that excuse sounded lame. She was already preparing herself for the worse possible outcome of the diagnosis. But she didn't want to appear weak, even in front of Ducky. Kate looked back at Ducky as she moved to the sink. He had the same look her father used to get, when he knew Kate was hiding something. Usually it had to do with where Kate had _said _she had been all night, when in reality she'd been off with some guy steaming up the car windows. Ducky played that "father-knows-best" look very well. And to Kate, there was something very comforting about that.

"Caitlin Todd, this is Ducky you're speaking to. I know a biopsy when I see one. Can I assume that you've recently found this abnormality in your breast exams?" Ducky followed Kate to the sink. He watched her as she splashed some water over her face. He knew she would play "tough girl" especially in front of Gibbs. Ducky had been noticing the sidelong glances, the innuendoes, and the sparks that seemed to fly when they locked eyes with one another. Ducky had never seen Gibbs warm up to anyone so quickly, and struggle so hard to keep his feelings under his mask before.

Kate looked up from the sink and dried her face. She sighed deeply, holding all this fear and worry in was simply too much for her. She felt so weak, and she needed someone to lean on, even just to hear her story. She proceeded to tell Ducky everything, from when she first discovered the lump until the needle biopsy from that morning. She told him what the doctor had said about the suspicious characteristics, and she even told Ducky about her family history. Ducky listened dutifully, carefully ingesting all her information. 

"Caitlin, you have been through a harrowing ordeal of late. I know that we all work together here, and that when we leave the office, we tend to want to keep our personal lives to ourselves. But Caitlin, despite all of that, we care about each other. You should have told us, no one should go through something like this alone."

"I couldn't tell anyone here Ducky! Gibbs would have replaced me in a heartbeat! You know he's always saying '_Don't bring_ _your personal distractions to work and put MY team in jeopardy'_. Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. "All he cares about is the job, Ducky. Nothing else matters," she muttered under her breath. Kate knew she needed to leave, or she would break down and cry right in front of Ducky. Or worse yet, she'd end up admitting some things about Gibbs, she wasn't ready to admit out loud. She looked up at Ducky, her eyes pleading. His gaze was thoughtful.

"Alright Caitlin, I suppose I understand your motives. But I still think you need to tell Gibbs. He may put on a façade of stone, but he has feelings. And some of them run quite deep." Kate nodded, and told Ducky that she would tell Gibbs, when the time was right. She turned and walked out of the morgue. Ducky watched her go, and muttered to himself, 

" Yes, when it comes to you, my dear, Jethro Gibbs' feelings run very deep indeed."

Kate thought on Ducky's words as she made her way slowly back to the bullpen. She knew she cared about the members of her team very much. She drowned in Gibbs's sea blue eyes every time they locked with hers. She loved working with him and learning from him; she couldn't imagine her life without Gibbs in it. But she also knew that he was her superior, and a relationship with him… well… would be nearly impossible. Kate wondered what Gibbs was like, away from work. Like on a date perhaps, or maybe a quiet evening at his house in front of the fire place. She smiled as she thought of the two of them snuggled on the couch, sharing a blanket, his arms wrapped protectively around her. The chirping of her cell phone interrupted Kate's dreamy thoughts. 

It was the doctor's office. Kate's stomach jumped into her throat as her doctor was transferred onto the phone. Dr. Burns told her that the needle biopsy results were, "questionable". Apparently they had not retrieved a good sample from the lump through the needle, and he recommended that Kate come back in tomorrow and have a lumpectomy. Tomorrow was Saturday, and they could admit her into outpatient surgery, put her under general anesthesia, and excise the lump fairly quickly. That way, they could biopsy the entire lump, and if it turned out to be malignant, they wouldn't have to go in again to extract it. Kate listened to the doctor, although her entire body had become numb. She managed to OK the procedure for the following morning. 

"Why wait," she thought, " I mean, might as well find the cancer and bring the rest of my world down on my head."

As she walked into the bullpen, she caught sight of Gibbs' silvery hair at his desk. "Great! Can this night get any better?!" Kate sighed and made her way to her desk.

Gibbs looked up from his paperwork as Kate rounded the corner to her desk. She looked even more haggard and drawn, if that was possible. His gut ached to know what was wrong. Now was as good a time as any Gibbs thought. 

"Katie, can we talk?" He watched her carefully. He wanted to be able to stop her if she tried to run again. 

"About what Gibbs?"

"About whatever it is that's bothering you so much. I've never seen you like this Kate." '_Don't let her see your worry too much_ _Gibbs'_, he thought. Stay professional. "Katie, I'm really worried about you." _Well that was great, way to keep your feelings on the inside Gibbs!_

Kate closed her eyes. She felt like an empty shell, no longer the snarky, spunky Kate Todd she'd always been. She wanted, so badly, to tell Gibbs what was going on in her life. She wanted him to hold her in his arms and kiss her and tell her everything was going to be OK. But she knew he would never do that, that he _couldn't_ do that. And her heart seemed to sink even lower. 

"There's nothing to worry about Gibbs," she said mustering the last ounce of her strength, "I can take care of myself, and I won't let it affect the job." She began to gather her things to leave.

Gibbs stood in frustration, his emotions finally breaking through. "Damn It Agent Todd! I have sat here and watched you with- draw into yourself for the past two days! Then you are gone all morning, and come back in even worse shape! Now I want to know what is going on!" Gibbs didn't realize how loud his voice had grown. He winced inwardly as he saw Kate take a step back away from him. The last thing he would ever do is hurt Kate, and it stung him to see her back away from him. The look of surprise and a little fear shown on her face, and Gibbs immediately wanted to grab her and hug her fiercely to apologize.

"Its personal Gibbs, something I have to deal with myself. There is nothing you can do," Kate said in a hushed voice. She turned and walked to the elevator. Gibbs' outburst had shocked her, but she was too tired to deal with him now. She wanted to tell him, but she was scared he would blow her off as a worrywart, or take her off case duty and stick her behind a desk. She couldn't take that. As she entered the elevator, neither Kate nor Gibbs had noticed that Ducky was standing in the corner at the far end of the bullpen.

Gibbs stood at his desk, his shoulders slumped in defeat. Kate didn't trust him to help her. Or she just didn't want him in her life, other than at the office. Did she really think he had no feelings, that Agent Gibbs wasn't capable of caring for something other than his job? He sat down in his chair, and put his face in his hands. He jumped as he heard Ducky move up behind him.

"Well Jethro, you made a real mess out of that didn't you?" Ducky smiled down at him.

"Oh God Ducky," Gibbs said as he sat back running his hands through his silver hair, "I never can say anything right around that woman! Everything I say comes out wrong, and she takes it wrong, and shit… I don't know." Gibbs sighed deeply as he gazed at the elevator doors. "I'm scared Duck, I'm scared I'm loosing her."

That admission struck Ducky. He watched Gibbs closely. Could it be, Jethro Gibbs was in love? And he'd finally met his match in Caitlin Todd? Ducky knew Gibbs had to know what Kate was going through. He hated to see his co-workers and his friends in such turmoil. Ducky made his decision.

"Jethro, Caitlin has a very good reason for her actions lately." Ducky sat on the edge of Gibbs's desk. Gibbs turned to him.

"What is it Duck?" 

"Well… two days ago, Caitlin found a lump." Ducky began to tell Gibbs everything about Kate's personal trials of the last two days. 

And Gibbs sat and listened to it all in utter silence, as his heart slowly twisted painfully in his chest.

~Chapter 5 Coming Soon!~


	5. Ch 5

**Title:** **The Strength Within**

**Author:** Alamo Girl

**Disclaimer:** None of these characters belong to me; I'm just borrowing them for fun.

Author Note* Well I finally got the last chapter done! I hope everyone has enjoyed reading my first fan fiction attempt. Thank you to every one who has read and reviewed, you guys are awesome! 

~Chapter 5~

An icy wind cut through Caitlin Todd's coat and sweater as she wearily got into her car outside of NCIS headquarters. She started her car and pulled out onto the slick D.C streets. She was too tired to cry, too tired to scream in frustration; she was just so damn tired. 

"How do I get through tomorrow alone?" she said to herself. Kate wanted someone to be with her, and she knew deep down that even though he frustrated the hell out of her, the one she wanted was Gibbs. Her chest ached, and it wasn't just the biopsy spot that was hurting. Just as Kate pulled into her apartment parking lot, her cell phone chirped again. 

She pulled it out and looked at the number. It was Ducky's. Well, at leased she could tell him about her scheduled surgery for tomorrow. She pressed the "talk" button.

"Hi Ducky," Kate said softly.

"Caitlin, oh I'm glad I caught you. Listen, I feel I should tell that..," but Kate cut him off.

" Hey Ducky, I actually wanted to say thanks for listening to me today. I know I've been acting really weird lately, but I think I'm going to find something definite out tomorrow at the doctor."

"What do you mean Caitlin, what's happened?"

Kate told Ducky about the conversation with her doctor after she had left the morgue. She told him of the lumpectomy surgery that she had scheduled for the next morning. Ducky listened anxiously, wanting to tell her something important as well. 

"So basically, I'll find out if I'm terminal or not tomorrow," Kate said with a small chuckle. 

"Caitlin, I'm so sorry you have to go through this, but I really.."

"Hey Duck, ya know, I'm really wiped out, I'm practically fallings asleep walking up to my apartment. But I will call you tomorrow once they release me from the hospital; I'll be at Memorial. Talk to ya later Duck," she said as she hung up the phone. Her strength was waning fast, and she was in no mood to listen to one of Ducky's monologs. 

Ducky stared at the phone, and let out an exasperated sigh. He looked out the window of the NCIS building in time to see a car peel out of the parking lot heading for Kate's apartment. "I hope you don't mind Caitlin, but I believe you are about to have company," Ducky muttered to himself as he walked away, shaking his head.

~*~

No police officer in Virginia would have dared pull Agent Gibbs over for speeding that night. Not if they wanted to keep their heads at leased! His car roared through the streets like it was possessed. Gibbs' knuckles were white, as he gripped the steering wheel fiercely. 

_"I cannot believe she wouldn't tell me about something like this! Like she could keep something this important from me, and expect me not to try to find out! Does she really think I wouldn't care, or that I was that heartless?"_ Gibbs thought to himself as his heart continued to twist in his chest. He yanked the wheel, narrowly missing a sign.

There was no way Gibbs was going to let Kate go through this alone. He had seen what chemotherapy did to people. That is, IF she even had breast cancer. Ducky had said that her doctor had only found some odd characteristics, but he didn't say cancer. Gibbs was angry. But more than that, he was scared. He was scared for Kate, and that was a feeling Jethro Gibbs was not used to at all. He knew from the marines that you look out for your teammates. He'd watched over Kate during cases, without being over protective. He knew she wanted to be treated as "one of the guys", but the truth was, every time they had to pull their side arms, Gibbs was worried about her. He would always try to put himself in front of her, shielding her if he could. But this was something Gibbs couldn't shield her from. She was hurting, and there wasn't anything he could do to protect her. It made him feel helpless, and that was something Gibbs simply could not stand to feel. 

As Gibbs parked in her parking lot, he looked up at her building. Something else was tugging on his insides. Kate must have felt she couldn't come to Gibbs with her problem. It was personal, but Gibbs thought they were getting along pretty well lately. He wanted her to feel safe with him, to know he would always be there for her. But obviously, she didn't feel that way, and that cut Gibbs like a knife. Finally he drew in a deep breath.

"No sense in putting this off any longer," he said as he got out of his car and proceeded up to Kate's apartment. A touch of fear hit Gibbs as he entered the building. How would Kate react to him knowing about her personal problem?

~*~

Kate walked from her kitchen with her cup of tea, her hair was loose and hung in damp tendrils around her face. She was just about to sit down when she heard a somewhat forceful knock on her door. She stared at the door for a second, trying to think who would possibly be knocking at this hour. Whoever it was better had a damn good reason, for Kate was beyond exhausted, and her nerves were frayed to the breaking point. 

She unlocked the door without looking through the peephole, not something Kate usually did. She opened the door, and her mouth dropped like a trap door. Gibbs stood in her doorway, his clothes were a little rumpled, but his eyes were alert and intense. He stared down at Kate, his face stayed void of expression, except Kate thought she could see something else in his eyes. 

"What the Hell are you doing here Gibbs?" Kate blurted out unceremoniously. She crossed her arms as best she could; her left shoulder was still sore. She suddenly felt very exposed and vulnerable, in her flannel pants and basketball jersey shirt. Gibbs had never been to her apartment, especially at night!

Gibbs never took his eyes from hers. "I want to know why you couldn't tell me," he said.

"Why I couldn't tell you what?" Kate said softly.

"About the lump! About the doctor's appointments and the biopsies!"  Gibbs leaned in closer to her, and tried to control his rising frustration. She hadn't invited him in yet, and he didn't want the neighbors calling the cops for people yelling in the halls.

"Damn it Ducky," she breathed. "I didn't feel it was necessary for me to tell you about something so personal Gibbs. Besides I still don't even know if its malignant or not. There was no sense in telling everyone until I had all the facts." Kate watched Gibbs, then averted her eyes to the floor and said, "Its not you'd care anyway. If its not job related, it might as well not exist."

Gibbs let out a shuddering breath he'd been holding. "Kate, you really didn't think you could trust me enough to tell me something like this? I'm not some robot special agent ya know, contrary to what everyone thinks! I do care about the people I work with! I can't believe you would think I was so cold!" Gibbs ran his hand through his hair. He wanted so desperately to hold Kate, and comfort her. " I should have known Kate, we are part of a team, and we're supposed to be friends. I should have known."

Kate shifted nervously in her doorway. She was so close to breaking down; tears were welling up in her eyes. "Why? So you could stick me behind a desk? I would rather be fired!" She tried to control her shaking voice. "Look Gibbs, I have a really early day tomorrow at the hospital," Kate said as she started to go for the door. Gibbs caught it with one hand. With his other hand, Gibbs reached out under her chin and gently turned Kate's face toward his. Kate froze, as a tear escaped down her cheek. His eyes were tender, and filled with worry.

"Katie…I.. I want you to feel like you can tell me anything… I want to know. I just wish you would let me in." Gibbs slowly let his had fall as he held Kate's gaze. It was ripping his heart out inside to see her crying. Kate blinked and then her face went to stone.

"You don't tell anyone anything personal about yourself. You, Agent Gibbs, never let anyone in. Yet you want me to suddenly tell you all my life's secrets? You don't get to have it both ways." And with that, she closed the door. Gibbs' face was of rejection, and disappointment in himself. 

As he walked out to his car, Gibbs felt cold and empty. He knew she was right, and for the first time in a very long time, Gibbs knew what it was like to want someone in your life with you. Now he knew _the one _he wanted, if he could just get to her let him in.  

Kate sat down behind her door, sobbing. She was so confused. How could she give all she had to someone who would never return the favor? How could he lay all this on her now, of all times? Kate sat on her floor sobbing, until there were no more tears; the light of morning was peeking through the windows. 

~*~

At the hospital the next morning, Kate was prepped for surgery. Her doctor had come in and explained the procedure again, and told her that they should have the biopsy results fairly quickly. She sat numbly as he talked, only hearing bits and pieces. 

The next thing Kate knew, her throat was sore. She struggled to open her eyes and to sit up, but her muscles didn't seem to work. Once she worked her eyes open, everything was a little fuzzy, but the pain in the left side of her chest and arm was very real. Kate gasped as she tried to move, when a large, warm muscular hand grasped her right hand. 

"Easy Kate, you can't go run around the hospital just yet."

Kate recognized the deep soothing voice, but she couldn't believe she actually heard it. She turned on her pillow and found herself gazing into a pair of very weary, very deep sea-blue eyes. Gibbs offered a warm smile, something Kate rarely got to see. 

"Gibbs?" Kate tried to work it out in her head. Gibbs was here, in the hospital, after last night? Her heart ached in her chest when she remembered the harsh things she'd said to him. 

"Yea, Ducky told me you were having this procedure this morning, and where you'd be."

"Damn Ducky," she said with a small smile, "The man can't keep anything to himself. I'll have to thank him later." Kate squeezed Gibbs' hand. It felt so good to be close to him, and feel his reassurance. 

"Kate I'm sorry about last night, I shouldn't have said those things…well I shouldn't have said them that way I guess."

"No Gibbs, I'm the one who should be sorry. I mean, you have a right to your privacy and your life outside of work. You're our senior agent, and you don't have to let anyone in your life if you don't want to. I was out of line saying that." Kate suddenly was hushed by Gibbs' had reaching out and stroking her cheek, so gently. She didn't know badass Gibbs could be that tender. He leaned in close to her, searching her eyes for understanding.

"You were right, Agent Todd," he whispered, "I haven't let anyone really "know" me in a very long time. I put up these walls for protection, and after a while, I didn't realize how lonely it could get. Until you came along." Kate swallowed hard; she'd never expected Gibbs to say these words she'd dreamed he'd say to her.

"I saw you hurting Katie, and there was nothing I could do and you wouldn't let me in, and well… hell my first instinct is interrogation. I didn't mean to come off so harsh back at headquarters last night. I just… didn't know what to do." He let his hand drop to hers, and clasped her small hand in both of his. 

"Agent Gibbs, not knowing what to do? Now there's a news head line." Kate joked. They both laughed, and Gibbs realized it was the first time he'd seen Kate smile in what seemed like weeks. Gibbs' expression became serious again, and he leaned closer to Kate as she sat up more.

"I'm ready to let someone in Kate." He held her gaze with a fierce intensity. It was as if he was trying to tell her with his eyes how deep his feelings for her had grown. She returned his soul-reading gaze, no longer afraid that her eyes would betray her feelings. She wanted him to see all things he made her feel.

Kate smiled softly, she didn't need to reply. Gibbs could read the affirmation in her eyes; he knew she wanted to be _the one_. He finally read all the penned-up feelings for him that she'd been carrying for so long, with that one heart-melting eye lock. Gibbs unconsciously began leaning into her, as she leaned up to him; their lips getting closer and closer, when a there was a knock at the door.

They both jumped back as Kate's doctor came in, a knowing smirk spread on his face. Gibbs' trademark smirk appeared, but Kate began to blush. Then her stomach jumped into her throat as she realized he would have the biopsy results. Gibbs became serious when he saw Kate tense up, and he took her hand. He could feel her trembling.

 "Well, Ms. Todd. We have you biopsy results," the doctor said, and he pulled out her chart and looked it over. Kate felt like she was going to be sick if he didn't tell her right now! Gibbs squeezed her hand, willing her to calm down. "It seems that the mass we extracted from your left breast was benign. I was a fibrous mass, which until we could get the whole thing, had been confusing the biopsy equipment. Once we had the whole mass, we could get a better biopsy of the cells. I very happy to bring good news to you. So many times we doctors have to be the bearers of bad news, especially with breast lumps. With you family history, Ms. Todd, you are very lucky. You should be able to leave later this afternoon, and you have to take it easy for a couple of days. That surgery site will be very sore." And the doctor gave her his numbers if she had any questions, and then left. 

Kate dropped back into her pillow as all the tension of the whole week melted from her in a wave. She did NOT have cancer! She let out the breath she'd been holding while the doctor spoke, and turned and smiled at Gibbs. Relief had washed over Gibbs as well, as he smiled broadly back at Kate.

"Well Katie, looks like your gonna be back digging in trash cans in no time," Gibbs laughed as Kate made a half-hearted swing at his arm with her good hand.  

"Oh I can't wait," she said. She stopped laughing as she felt Gibbs' hand brush through her hair. She looked over at him, as tears of joy began to fill her eyes. 

"I'm so glad your OK Katie," Gibbs whispered. But again, the moment was interrupted by someone bumping through the door.

"I told you she was in room 305, and you almost made me drop my flowers!" Tony stumble through the door with Abby close on his heels.

"You are such a baby Tony, you were holding up the entire hall drooling over that nurse. I simply tried to move you out of the way," Abby said.

Kate and Gibbs looked up at them in surprise. Kate's mouth formed the word "how", but Tony and Abby both said Ducky had told them. Tony walked up the Kate's bed with a bouquet of daisies and his patented mega-watt smile. 

"I mugged a guys down the hall for these flowers, so if he comes looking for them deny everything."

"Gee, Thanks Tony. I always knew you were the mug-the-old-people kind of guy." Kate winked at Tony. She told Abby and Tony that the biopsy was benign, and they said they would relay the message to Ducky. Tony suddenly realized that Kate and Gibbs had been really "cozy" looking just as they had come in.

"We uh… didn't interrupt anything in here did we boss," Tony asked as he cocked an eyebrow at Gibbs and Kate. Gibbs frowned at Tony, and stared him down.

"DiNozzo, why don't you go find some nurse to hit on."  The 'get out of here or die' look on Gibbs' face made Tony's smile fade. 

" Ya know, I think I need some coffee," Tony said nervously, and he and Abby left the room. Abby threw a knowing smile back at Kate and Gibbs as she walked out. Kate and Gibbs looked at each other, and laughed. 

~*~

Kate sat at her desk at NCIS headquarters a few days later. She was finishing up her paper work, when she noticed that everyone in the bullpen had left. She must have been really concentrating, not to notice when Tony left. She looked around, and even Gibbs wasn't at his desk. She sighed; he had been so attentive to her lately at work. There seem to be a new connection between the two, and the sparks were even hotter when they locked eyes now. Gibbs had even called her at home to check on her a few times. Kate wondered if he would take it any farther, or if he had reconsidered letting her into his life. Maybe he thought it wasn't a good idea after all. Disappointed, Kate gathered her things and walked to the elevator.

She was walking down the walk in front of the building, when she heard something behind her.

"I thought you would never come down Agent Todd," Gibbs said as he strode up behind her. He cocked his head to the side and grinned his boyish, playful grin. Kate smirked at him.

"I thought you'd have gone home by now," she said eyeing him. 

Gibbs walked up beside her, reached down and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together. He glanced out into the night, then looked down at Kate and put on his smirk.

"Well I thought maybe we could continue our conversation from the hospital…over dinner…at…uh…my place?" His expression was confident, but Kate could see a tinge of apprehension and anxiety in his eyes. It touched her.

"I'd love to Gibbs." Kate smiled and leaned into his warm, broad shoulder. 

They walked together hand-in-hand toward the parking lot, as snowflakes began to drift slowly down, covering the bustling city with a peaceful white blanket. 

~END~

~I hope you enjoyed the story. I plan to write more NCIS fan fictions, so look for them! (sorry for the shameless advertisement) ;-)


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